Yesterday was Halloween. A magical time at the end of October where the veil thins and adults let themselves dress up in costume, enjoy stuffing their faces with candy, and do something very unusual.

I’m referring to the wonderful phenomenon of play.

I noticed something very inspiring on the Friday before Halloween and I really wanted to share it with you. I supervise an amazing group of clinicians and case managers who do beautiful work with families and children. The work is hard. It can challenging and some days can feel like they’ll never end. But despite the difficulty of the job, on Friday there was a playful charm around our office. The staff were all in costume. People were joking and laughing.

Everyone was connecting to each other in a profound and silly way.

Perhaps it’s because Halloween gives us permission to play. But honesty, why do we need permission to play? And who do we need permission from?

Many people stop playing when they reach adolescence. I believe that is a sad thing. Play is healthy and fun and absolutely vital to wellbeing. I began to think- how much better would work be if we played everyday, and not just on Halloween. I think I’ll wear a purple wig more often 🙂

How can you bring more play into your life?